In tactical RPGs, it’s easy to fall into a familiar rhythm. You always want to go out on missions with your ranged attacker, your close-range attacker, and maybe some sort of support class. These classes are usually given ultra-powerful abilities that help them do what they do best effectively. But rarely do you see games where a single character can use the top abilities of two separate classes at the same time. Even acclaimed classics like Final Fantasy Tactics And Baldurs Gate 3 put a damper on full class freedom in the interest of game balance.
That’s why it’s so wild to see SteamWorld Heist 2 Throw all that overboard with one of the most liberal class systems I’ve ever seen.
SteamWorld Heist 2 follows the format of the original: It is a 2D, side-scrolling version of turn-based strategy games like XCOM where a small team of soldiers use their wits to defeat hordes of rival robots. Rather than being about hit-and-miss percentages, all combat in the game is determined by where you aim. But when you’re armed with an arcing rocket launcher without a laser sight, getting a shot off from across the map can be easier said than done.
To gain an edge, teammates level up after missions, earning new passive and active abilities suited to their equipped class. A melee-centric Brawler, for example, might gain the ability to move after a kill, instead of having his turn end immediately. Or a Sniper might come equipped with a massive laser sight by default, allowing you to fire a perfectly ricochet shot off two walls and into the head of a rival robot.
But here’s the thing: your teammates aren’t locked into their starting class. At any point, simply equipping a different primary weapon can completely change a character’s class. Give a Sniper a shotgun and suddenly they’re a Flanker, with vastly more movement options and the chance to dish out extra damage by hitting an enemy from behind.
That character starts out as a level 1 Flanker, but retains his Sniper level, and any skills he previously unlocked as a Sniper can be equipped with “Cogs.” As you level up the different classes, more Cogs become available to you, giving you much more freedom in how you create your classes.
If you were to max out that Sniper and then fully level up three other classes, you could equip the final abilities of all four of those classes at once—and probably still have some Cogs left over. The end result would be a Sniper that can shoot a weapon that fires twice per turn, set guys on fire, heal himself for every kill, and mark a random enemy on the field to take bonus damage. It’s starting to get a little absurd.
If you think this makes the game too easy, the developers have added a wide range of difficulty settings to adjust all aspects of enemy AI, ensuring there’s still a challenge. During my playthrough on the default difficulty, there was never really a point where I felt like I had a total advantage over the other side. I also found the entire experience to be much more rewarding knowing that my crew of death machines were entirely hand-crafted. The SteamWorld franchise continues to innovate in exciting ways, and I’m looking forward to seeing what genre it ventures into next.
SteamWorld Heist 2 was released on August 8, 2024 on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series S/X. The game was reviewed on SteamDeck using a pre-release download code provided by Thunderful Publishing. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. You can find additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.